


Writing Bros

by winglesswarrior



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: BFFs, Brotp, but they have a special thing, it's all about the music, they're not really a couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-26 18:39:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2662322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winglesswarrior/pseuds/winglesswarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis and Liam have half an album worth of songs on the new album, but something's still not quite right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Writing Bros

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a thing that came to mind when I was working on another fic (it's posted here too). It's just a little thing. 
> 
> Obviously, I have no claim over the people mentioned here and this is very much a fictional version of the real people.

“Yeah no, it’s been absolutely great writing our own stuff. Feels like the music means more and we really like being in control of what we’re putting out. It helps the music grow with us.” Liam glanced at Louis like he always did and Louis nodded, smiling back even if it wasn’t quite the right smile. He knew the difference and this was the one that was for Liam, because Liam was smiling and it was an easy way to cover up what he was really thinking and really feeling. Liam was the only one that could bring the not-so-forced-but-not-honest smile out of him. The conversation moved away from them, Harry answering a question about one of his songs and Liam bumped his elbow into Louis’ who kept the contact up, leaning just slightly so their arms were really touching. They didn’t do this as much anymore, too many stupid rumors, too much stress from each moment, and considering just two weeks ago Louis had to defend his personal life again he was restrained. That and the heat of Louis’ arm even through his shirt, clued Liam into the fact that he was beyond upset about whatever was going on. 

The interview wrapped and Louis was bolting off the couch before Liam even had a chance to realize it was over. He leaned across and shook the interviewer’s hand, thanking her and getting up to follow after Louis. The others held back because they knew. There was really one person these days that dealt with Louis when he got like he did, and while Zayn, Harry and Niall all helped ease their oldest member’s moods, Liam was really the one that could calm him. 

Liam found him in the dressing room already back in one of his jackets from yet another football team. He’d amounted quite the collection over their last tour, getting one at each stadium until he was shipping the extras home so he’d have room in his suitcase. The outfits for him, well all of them, had been more fitted than Louis chose to wear these days, tight and black, and not hiding his frame under a shirt that was almost too big like he preferred on stage. Liam had always wondered what changed, why the number of fitted shirts seemed to fall out of Louis’ wardrobe, but he always guessed it had something to do with how he wanted people to view him. He wasn’t the preppy pretty boy from their first two albums anymore. He was edgier than that and tattooed now, a little more punk rock and while the others had aged the same way, Louis seemed determined to move himself out of the running for ‘sex symbol’. Liam didn’t blame him, but at the same time he wondered if Louis realized that everything he did screamed that, no matter how oversized his shirts were. 

The jacket though was a defense mechanism, something to hide under while he angrily drank a Coke Zero. Liam wasn’t even aware that was possible, but there was Louis, pounding the caffeine with his features set in a scowl looking more out of his mind with anger and frustration than he would if he was throwing things around the room. 

Shutting the door behind him, Liam moved closer to his best friend, but didn’t confront him right out, just shrugging out of the shirt that wasn’t his and hanging it back up on the rack it came from. “So. What’s up with you?” he asked as casually as he could. He wanted to wrap Louis up in a big hug, tuck his head under Liam’s chin even if it he was a little too tall for it, but he knew better than to jump to cuddles when Louis was angry. That never went over well and usually ended up with Liam getting elbowed in the chest and Louis shutting down more. 

“This is stupid. The whole fucking point of this album was that it was going to be less stupid. More us. More open. And now…” Louis waved towards the door with the can, spilling some before wrapping his arms around himself again. “It’s stupid.” 

Liam nodded, going for his own shirt and putting that on, still watching Louis out of the corner of his eye. “Which part is the worst?” he prompted, not sure what any of the parts were, but sometimes it was best to not let Louis think he wasn’t making a lick of sense. 

Louis’ stayed tense for a moment before his shoulders fell. “The lying .Or...avoiding. I know why we’re doing it, but it’s stupid, Li. I mean…” He turned then, looking at Liam straight on, hands held out in front of him towards Liam. He wasn’t quite open for a hug, but he was less closed in on himself. Liam had read an article on BuzzFeed or something equally worthless about the body language between him and his bandmates. It was clearly pointless, but it led him down a google spiral until he found a proper article about it and while it was a little above his understanding, he’d picked up quite a bit that related so wonderfully to his bandmates, especially Louis. This movement was Louis opening up, surrendering his feelings and Liam finished pulling on his shirt, waiting to listen. 

“The songs. We didn’t talk about them on the other album. About Through the Dark and how it wasn’t even remotely close to being about a girl. I mean, sure, yeah, it came out sappy, but we’re sappy and you were a mess and you know me, I love taking things to the next level, but it was never about a relationship. It was about us. You and me. Getting you better after you got your heart broken.” He was talking with his hands and Liam just barely managed to catch the can in one before he dumped it all over his jacket which Liam guessed would just piss Louis off more. With one hand around Louis’ wrist he got him to hand over the can which Liam set aside then turned back to Louis. 

“Okay, but we aren’t talking about the last album right?” 

Louis slumped more and Liam kept his grip on his wrist. “No. But we’re doing it again. Sure, Steal My Girl is obvious, but what about the others? Ready to Run? That’s us. You know it. We said that, remember? We laughed at how you called my smile devilish. How we were gonna be okay as long as it was us. And yeah, you wrote Illusions about Soph, but come on that was a conversation we had.” Louis was losing steam, his anger sliding away. “I can’t even imagine what people are thinking about when they hear No Control and how wrong they are.” 

Liam watched Louis’ body language for a moment more then pulled his best friend forward, wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tightly. “They think you’re stupidly in love with El.” 

“I am. But that’s totally not what that song is about.” Louis sighed into Liam’s chest. “I just wish we could tell the truth. Or at least talk about it. Yes, I wrote this song about my best friend and sure we made it sound like it was about a girl because we wanted people to relate to it. People do that.” Louis untangled himself from Liam’s grip and looked up at Liam from under his lashes. Liam hated that face. It was the one that had Liam doing whatever Louis wanted just to make it go away. He was pretty sure the only person who was impervious to it was Paul. And maybe Louis’ mum. “I hate it.” 

Liam sighed and put his hands on Louis’ shoulders, ducking the few inches so they were looking right at each other. ”I know. I do too. But we know. We’ve got two albums with our friendship painted across them and they’re some of the best songs we’ve ever had. And I’ll know every time I sing it. Same with you. And the other guys.” He squeezed Louis’s shoulders. 

“And you have that.” Louis poked at the tattoo on Liam’s forearm, the lyric from another song they’d written that didn’t make the cut. They knew why it didn’t, it was a touch too obvious and, given everything, it was best to avoid it. Even if there wasn’t anything going on, it was hard to explain how much Liam loved Louis without it sounded like more than just friends and the same went for Louis. It was what it was though, which was a thought that made Liam chuckle. It was almost ridiculous how often that phrase came up. Louis just took credit for the brilliance behind his tattoo every time it did. “I might get another.” 

“Maybe go with something less freaky than a skull and cross bones this time?” 

“Shut up,” Louis snapped, but the anger was gone, just his playful tone he usually used. “This tattoo is awesome.” He brandished the newest tattoo in Liam’s face to prove a point. 

“Oh yeah. You are so punk rock.” 

“I am punk rock.” 

Liam leaned back and looked up at Louis’ hair, done up in a perfectly styled quiff. “Suuuuure.” 

“Oh shut up.” Louis pushed at Liam which he stumbled back from on purpose before lunging forward to catch Louis around the waist and tickle him until he was gasping for air and hitting Liam’s shoulder demanding mercy. Liam pulled back enough to grab his face and smack a loud, wet kiss against his temple. “Ugh gross.” Louis pushed at Liam’s face to get him to back off, but he was still grinning and Liam wrapped his arm around his shoulder just for Louis to go for his signature nipple tweak, but Liam gave him a look. It was enough for Louis to look back raising his eyebrows in a dare. They held that truce for a moment, then Louis punched him in the stomach and dashed off and out of the room to tackle the other boys, mood back to where it should be.


End file.
